1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique which manages a user apparatus corresponding to a delivered upgrade key.
2. Description of Related Art
A wireless apparatus corresponding to a delivered upgrade key is not easily traced after shipping, and a management service cannot be provided. More specifically, until now, in changes of functions such as capacity, redundant configuration, bit rate, LAN, and XPIC, CDs are independently manufactured for customers in accordance with contracts with the customers and then shipped.
A wireless apparatus of this type is outrightly sold, and a provision of a management service after shipping (delivered) has not been considered. For this reason, there is no system for managing information.
In this case, as a prior art, Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 2004-46320 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique enabling a provision of the following peripheral device upgrade service system. That is, when a user accesses a server of a sales system through a PC, peripheral device information detecting means serving as an application program started in the PC of the user acquires PC hardware information including a memory capacity of the PC, types and the number of connectors, or peripheral device information of peripheral devices connected to the PC, and notifies the server of the sales system of the hardware information. On the server side of the sales system, a peripheral device which can be installed by the user and can be upgraded for the existing peripheral devices is listed from a database based on the acquired hardware information. The server notifies each user of the listed peripheral device through a homepage, an electronic mail, or the like of the user to make it possible to efficiently perform an upgrade service for the peripheral devices of the user terminal.
Problems of the prior art will be described below.
A customer cannot purchase/acquire an upgrade key through the Internet.
According to the apparatus of this type, in order to provide an upgrade key, the upgrade key is manufactured and delivered in the form of a CD. A customer who purchases the CD delivers the CD to a site (place where a wireless apparatus is installed) and connects a PC to the apparatus, and writes data to the apparatus through the CD.
Delivering of the upgrade key in the form of a CD requires a conveyance procedure and a time for conveyance. So, long time is required until the upgrade key is conveyed to a final destination and installed in the wireless apparatus.
Moreover, for the form of a CD, the upgrade key cannot be freely acquired at any time and from any location within a short period of time.
Since a location where a wireless apparatus is installed is generally unpeopled, a destination of the CD is generally different from the location where the wireless apparatus is installed. For this reason, the customer must receive the CD and then resend the CD to the site or causes someone to carry the CD to the site.
Furthermore, a production number of the wireless apparatus which is required when the upgrade key is purchased cannot be managed. Thus, a new upgrade key can be ordered only after confirmation of the production number of the corresponding wireless apparatus and check of a state of a key currently set.
In a management for each customer, only a single response is performed in contract or delivery, resulting in failing to provide series and continuous management, so a close support service cannot be provided to each customer.
Moreover, managements cannot be performed such as estimation, purchase, an installation operation, a test, an operation, maintenance, repair, a change, and disposal, over the life cycle of a wireless apparatus.